HIGH Court judge Justice Thushara Rajasinghe will be hearing oral no case to answer submissions from the defence lawyers in the Fiji Times sedition trial tomorrow. This is after the defence lawyers indicated that they would be submitting that there was no case to answer at the High Court in Suva this morning.
On trial are Nai Lalakai editor Anare Ravula, The Fiji Times editor-in-chief Fred Wesley, the company’s general manager and publisher, Hank Arts, the company and a letter writer, Josaia Waqabaca, are charged with one count each of having published or caused to publish or aided and abetted the publication of a letter in the Nai Lalakai newspaper on April 27, 2016 that was alleged to be seditious.
Mr Ravula is represented by Devanesh Sharma, Mr Wesley and Mr Arts are represented by Nicholas Barnes of Munro Leys and QC Marc Corlett.
The Fiji Times company is being represented by Wylie Clarke of Howards Lawyers Fiji.
Mr Waqabaca is represented by Aman Ravindra-Singh.
Justice Rajasinghe has ordered that the lawyers file and serve their written submissions to the prosecution by 3pm today.
And the prosecution will have to file their submission in the court registry by 9am tomorrow, with oral submissions at 12.00pm.
The lead prosecutor in the trial is Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, Lee Burney and is being assisted by Yogesh Prasad and Unaisi Tamanikaiyaroi.
